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Shishapangma: Day of Rest at Base Camp

September 24, 2016

Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Adam Knoff, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Shishapangma

Elevation: 18,400'

A well earned day of rest. We have come to the point now in this expedition where things are now earned instead of deserved. Granted we all worked hard on our last rotation. A storm came in and bullied us into coming down a day early. The wind beat us like a naughty pet and kept camp two, our primary objective out of reach. Despite the storm, everyone did great handling themselves and proved they are ready for the final push. Now we must really focus on staying positive and healthy. Our bodies are wearing down even here at Base Camp. The mountain, letting us touch and feel a little bit is hiding no secrets and will demand our strongest effort yet to gain her summit slopes even though our physical selves aren't as tip top as they were two weeks ago. So now we earn it. Nothing will come easy. From here until the end we must become more adept and graceful at dealing with the hardships. The want to come home and hug our loved ones and eat fresh food and enjoy a warm shower is growing stronger everyday. All of us must embrace the spirit of climbing this mountain and believe that working hard, suffering well and giving everything we have both physically and emotionally will earn us a chance to stand on top. These next few rest days will all blend together. Sleep, eat, drink, sleep, cards, read and so on. I personally spiced things up today when I crawled into the Gamov bag just to see what it was like and 15 minutes later had a claustrophobic panic attack and had to be let out before hyperventilating. This provided a touch of humor but all in all we now must rest and wait. We all understand what these next two weeks will bring. We came here to climb Shishapangma and we will give her our finest effort. Even during days of rest. More on that tomorrow. RMI Adam Knoff

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Hi Cowie!

I hope you are having a nice time resting at base camp for a few days…but really, isn’t every day a rest day for you? It must be nice always being carried up the mountains! You better be keeping everyone in good spirits, but if you need some help, tell Mark that Jack got a B on his chemistry test yahoo!! He must really be scared of what is going to happen when you get home. Remind Mark to take some good pictures, the frames in the living room need an update : )

Be safe and make good choices!

xo EJW

Posted by: Elizabeth Wilkins on 9/25/2016 at 6:22 pm

Soup Ready!
Nice work up there boys. Stay safe

Posted by: Geoff on 9/25/2016 at 5:16 pm

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Mexico: Knoff & Team at the Altzomoni Hut

March 3, 2014

Posted by: Adam Knoff

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 12,500'

Day two is coming to a close. Last night we were sleeping at 10,000 feet and tonight is a whopping 2,500 feet above that. For you math buffs that means the comfy Altzomoni Hut sits at 12,500 feet above the sea. It is amazing the power of acclimating. Last night some of us felt a bit tired and short of breath. Right now after a fantastic homemade dinner by a team of local guides, drivers and porters doubling as gourmet chefs, we all feel strong, relaxed and ready for our big push to Ixta's high camp sitting higher than any mountain in the lower 48. We also feel prepared. Today we had a mellow morning which transitioned wonderfully into Mexico's best breakfast at a hotel 25 minutes down the road from the resort of La Malinche. Breakfast is the day's most important meal you know! Afterwards the soothing 1.5 hour van ride helped digest the massive buffet in our guts and landed us in Amecameca where we finalized our food list and met out local staff. By 2:30 we were running through our gear and getting squared away packing and tomorrow's program at the Altzomoni Hut. A nice hour walk brought us to the trail head and back where our chef crew was waiting. The locals really know how to treat their guests. We are very lucky to have them. In closing the team has reminded me to mention that they all miss their loved ones. I reminded them it is only day two. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. We will touch base from high camp tomorrow. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

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Mexico’s Volcanoes: Team Makes Acclimatization Hike

March 3, 2013

Posted by: Adam Knoff, JJ Justman

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico

Elevation: 10,000'

Breakfast came early this morning at the BW Majestic Hotel, located in the heart of the world's second largest city. By 7 am the group was assembled on the Majestic's top floor where the restaurant is located and to our surprise, we could clearly make out the glaciated peak of Ixta far out to the south. This was indeed confirmation that Mexico really does possess snow and ice. A fact most North Americans are unaware of. With our excitement clearly building we loaded the waiting van and headed straight to- oh ya! Wal Mart. Yup, glaciers and Wal Mart, these go hand in hand on successful mountain climbing trips. After we saved a bunch of pesos on today's everyday low price, we gunned it to La Malinche where we moved promptly into our dorm style cabanas and motivated for our first acclimating hike up the flanks of La Malinche itself. With the summit laying a hop skip and jump out of our reach, the team took its final rest break at 13,700 feet and quickly descended. Nothing better to toughen one up! We are now off to dinner and preparations for tomorrow's move to Ixta. Team Orizaba out. RMI Guides JJ Justman & Adam Knoff

On The Map

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Thanks for the video. Cute dogs. Do they live up there or someone bring them with?

Posted by: Kris on 3/4/2013 at 6:03 pm

Hey team Orizaba! Bill’s wife here. Glad to hear it’s going well. Good luck on Ixta! I teach 4th graders and am showing my class your blogs.

Posted by: Kris Westberg on 3/4/2013 at 10:19 am

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Mt. Rainier: September 17th Summit!

September 17, 2012

Posted by: Eric Frank, Elias de Andres Martos

Categories: Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

Our Four Day Summit Climb September 14 - 17 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Elias de Andres Martos. The teams reported calm winds and warm temperatures. The sky is hazy due to the wildfires in eastern Washington. They were able to spend some time on the summit before starting their descent around 9 am PT. The teams will return to Camp Muir to repack and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon. Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!

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Well done Beth and Jen! We’re all proud of you!!:)xxx

Posted by: Lucy Collins on 9/17/2012 at 4:19 pm

Awesome! Congrats Craig and Mike! Looking forward to seeing the pictures and hearing about the climb!

Posted by: Leilani MCCLURE on 9/17/2012 at 2:24 pm

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Mt. Rainier: American Lung Association School Day

July 18, 2012

Posted by: Win Whittaker, Pete Van Deventer

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

The American Lung Association's Climb for Clean Air team had a beautiful day in the snow above Paradise. They learned some important skills to help them reach their goal of reaching the Mt. Rainier summit and also had a lot of fun.

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Aconcagua Expedition: Resting at Basecamp

December 20, 2011

Posted by: Jake Beren

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 13,800'

Hello from Aconcagua Basecamp, Today we are resting and recuperating at Plaza Argentina preparing to move to Camp 1 tomorrow. The winds look a touch rowdy up high, so staying here is a great call. This morning we had a leisurely breakfast and excellent conversation before a short stroll to stretch the legs. Hopefully the winds will cooperate and tomorrow we will be checking in from Camp 1! RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Rich F., Cannot wait to hear the details. Be safe!
N

Posted by: Neil D on 1/1/2012 at 8:02 pm

Congratulations!!!!! /What a wonderful achievement!
All your admirers need now is to see you at home.
It was exciting to follow the trek because it made it seem more real. Looking forward to your return.
Love Mom and the rest of the family

Posted by: mary doyle on 12/27/2011 at 4:06 pm

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Mt. Rainier: ALA Climb for Clean Air Update

July 20, 2023

Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Bailey Servais, Ben Thorneycroft

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 11,200'

The American Lung Association Climb for Clean Air team was unable to reach the summit due to route conditions. The team climbed to Ingraham Flats to watch the sunrise before starting their descent. This team spends the year raising funds and supports the mission of the American Lung Association to saving lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease.

Congratulations Team!

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Aconcagua: Cifelli and Team Make Their Move to Camp 3

February 3, 2023

Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Jack Delaney, Jess Wedel

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 19,600'

Hello from Camp 3, Colera!

Today, we woke up to a beautiful day with low clouds blanketing the valley below us. We packed all our gear and headed uphill. We walked in and out of cloud cover with the slightest breeze. We all appreciated the cooler temps and reprieve from the harsh sun.

After a few hours, we arrived at 19,600 feet. Everyone was feeling great, and we all worked together to get our tents set up.

Shortly after we arrived, the clouds filled in and the thunder rolled. Every time we’d hear the rumble, the whole camp would yell “tranquilo” which definitely helped because the clouds moved by and now, we have clear skies again.

We are all tucked in our tents and ready for our early morning start for the summit. Here we go!!

Jess and team

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Pulling for you Team! Can’t wait to see pictures from the top.

TICO

Posted by: Cameron Presley on 2/4/2023 at 3:39 am

All of Alaska (me) is excited for your summit climb and will be thinking about you all. Much love.

Posted by: Floyd Spinner on 2/3/2023 at 9:30 pm

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Build Snow Walls to Protect Camp

May 24, 2021

Posted by: Mike Walter, Avery Parrinello, Luke Wilhelm

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

Sunday, May 23, 2021 - 6:01 pm PT

The weather has not gotten the message yet that we’re trying to move up to the 14,00' Camp. Winds calmed yesterday afternoon, but picked up again early this morning. We were poised to break camp when they ramped up to the strongest we’ve seen this trip, strong enough to break guy lines on our cook tent. Texting via satellite with friends at 14k, we knew conditions were even harsher up there.

Instead of moving up today we built some snow walls to protect our camp here at 11k. The weather is improving this evening, and again we’re hopeful that we can push camp up higher tomorrow.

We’ll let you know...

RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Might be fun to build an igloo in your spare time. Hope you get moving soon.

Posted by: Anne Cook on 5/25/2021 at 12:26 pm

As it turns out, there is actually a patron saint of good weather, Saint Medardus! I never heard of him before. He’ll be hearing from me until you’re home!

Posted by: Althea on 5/25/2021 at 10:39 am

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